George Peper: 750 Courses and Counting
About a month ago, I played for the first time a fine links course on England’s Somerset Coast called Burnham & Berrow. Now, normally this would be an occasion of no particular significance—certainly not worth trumpeting in the first line of a LINKS column—but in this instance it meant something. You see, B&B happened to […]
Kiawah Island Golf Resort Expands into the Future
Thirty years ago, when I was editor of GOLF Magazine, we began recognizing America’s premier golf resorts with the presentation of a very limited number of gold medals. Among the first recipients was South Carolina’s Kiawah Island Resort, then just a dozen years old and sporting a pair of golf courses by Tom Fazio and […]
George Peper on Par 3 Courses
I’m afraid I have no interest in Par-54 courses… but I love the holes that comprise them Our Spring 2018 issue’s cover story focuses on the spate of high-profile Par-3 courses that have sprouted during the last couple of years. It got me to thinking about the love-hate relationship I’ve always had with the par […]
The Best Par 3 in Scotland? Hopeman GC Says So…
By George Peper I thought I knew something about golf courses—and Scottish links courses in particular. So imagine my surprise earlier this year, while on a visit to St. Andrews, when a headline in one of the local pennysavers trumpeted the “Best Par-3 in Scotland” on a course that rang only the faintest of bells. Hotfooting […]
These Golf Course Names are Less Than Inspiring
A pair of first-time major-championship hosts will soon step forward, with the U.S. Open coming to Erin Hills, in Erin, Wis., and the PGA to Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C. Granted, each has been the site of some previous high-level competition—Erin Hills having hosted the U.S. Amateur, Quail Hollow a slew of PGA Tour events—but this […]
Seminole Prepares for the 2021 Walker Cup
One of the most exclusive clubs in the world, Seminole has done its best over the past 88 years to guard its privacy, keeping its highly esteemed Donald Ross course a secret except to the fortunate few. Now, however, it’s ready to share a bit, having accepted an invitation from the USGA to host the […]
Seminole Prepares for the 2021 Walker Cup
One of the most exclusive clubs in the world, Seminole has done its best over the past 88 years to guard its privacy, keeping its highly esteemed Donald Ross course a secret except to the fortunate few. Now, however, it’s ready to share a bit, having accepted an invitation from the USGA to host the […]
Where Were These Famous Golf Movies Filmed?
Let’s face it: There has never been a great golf movie. Sure, Caddyshack is a laugh riot, but it’s hardly what you’d call the pinnacle of cinematic art. The numerous golf dramas and biopics have been generally mediocre either through lack of golf authenticity (actors who can’t swing) or other inherent weakness (golfers who can’t […]
Mix a Golf Tune-Up Vacation with Baseball Spring Training
For the golfer who’s also a major league baseball fan, the dream vacation is one that combines the two. There’s no better time to do that than right now, mixing your pre-season tune-up with spring training. You have two options—the Grapefruit League in Florida and the Cactus League in Arizona, with 15 major-league teams based […]
George Peper: Mental Case
A widely held theory claims that one’s golf game—like one’s personality—is heavily influenced by one’s earliest experiences, the first years of development. As evidence, consider the shotmaking genius of Seve Ballesteros, born of a childhood swatting rocks with a makeshift 3-iron along the beach in Pedrena, Spain; or Sam Snead’s balanced yet powerful swing, a […]